Pacific Northwest - North of Spokane rides

I will be spending the holiday weekend up at Watts lake. My brother and I would like to get a road ride in while we are there. Any good suggestions in the 40 to 50 mile range.

Thanks in advance

David

Were exactly is Watts lake?

Were exactly is Watts lake?

About 40 miles north of you near Chewelah



http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=48.810368,-122.593689&spn=0.099369,0.205307&z=13

Well I can only comment on 231 South of Springdale. Even though it's designated a highway it's really a two lane road with a pretty good shoulder. Traffic is light and you will get the occasional large truck ot two. I've ridden 231, south of 291, going to Rearden and it's a great ride. Rearden is a small town and it does have some quicky marts to get water etc. I ride 291 a lot and there is a DNR camp ground 4 miles east of 231 and there you can get water down by the beach. Haven't been able to explore any of the secondary roads north of Ford so I can't comment on them.

Let me know how the rides go.

Steve

Hi David,
There's lots of good riding up there. Stevens county is an undiscovered meca of road riding. Here's one of our favorite routes in that area. This loop is 80 miles and goes right by Waits Lake. You could do shorter version by doing an out and back to Hunters: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Springdale-Hunters-Chewela-Loop

Another good option, if you're into climbing, is to head up to Chewelah via the route described above and then proceed up to Chewelah Mountain (49 Degree's North Ski Area). It's a consistent climb and an excellent decent. From Waits Lake that would give you about 50 miles, I think.

I'd offer to ride with you, but I'm out of town this weekend.

Mike

Thanks Mike we will have to try one of them. We won't have much time dedicate dto riding since we will be with others who don't, just looking for a 3 to 4 hour ride to keep the legs in shape. sorry you will be away maybe next time we can do a ride.

David

I don't get out to explore new routes much but I may give that one a try this July. The full loop is a little much for me so I might try Springdale to Hunters and back.

Steve

I don't get out to explore new routes much but I may give that one a try this July. The full loop is a little much for me so I might try Springdale to Hunters and back.

Steve

Take a look at the elevation profile of that out and back! There is a small mountain pass between Springdale and Hunters. The downhill going down into Hunters is spectacular; it's basically 14-15 miles of downhill. Then you get to climb it on the way home. The climb actually isn't too bad. It's a steady 4-8% grade IRCC.

Mike,

Thanks for the ride tip. We didn't do the whole route since we were on a family and friend camp out. We did the route in reverse starting at Waitts lake 3 miles west of Valley from there we continued the route north to Addy then came straight back 395. What scenery and the climb from Bluecreek up to the Addy road was just what these skinny legs needed after a long winter hiatus. Of course the ride back down into Addy made it all worth it. We did fight a pretty good head wind going back Chewelah, but the views took my mind off it. I took a few pictures and will post them when I get them all down loaded. Next time we are going to try the Chewelah to 49 degree ride. Locals tell us that it is a good climb and the road conditions are great. Again thanks and I hope you had good holiday weekend.

David

PS maybe next year you will be able to join us.

One more thing about Stevens County. The divers were very polite to us. All the cars gave us plenty of room when they passed. And wherever we stopped the locals were friendly and helpful. We attracted a bit of attention while in Addy at the Trading Post while changing a flat. People stopped to ask about the bikes and us. All and all a very positive experience.

One more thing about Stevens County. The divers were very polite to us. All the cars gave us plenty of room when they passed. And wherever we stopped the locals were friendly and helpful. We attracted a bit of attention while in Addy at the Trading Post while changing a flat. People stopped to ask about the bikes and us. All and all a very positive experience.

Glad you had a good ride David. My girlfriend and I went camping over the weekend and it turns out, we camped in Hunters on Sunday night. I got a chance to ride a little bit from Hunters, but mostly we just drove. It was interesting to drive those roads for the first time after so many times riding them. You just don't get the same views of the countyside from a car (although it was still pretty). Drop us a line next time you're on the east side.

Mike